#BookReview: The Politics Industry by Katherine Gehl

Just Another Dogmatic Diatribe. With a title and premise like this, I truly had high hopes for this book. I should learn to not have such high hopes for such books, given that they almost always are utter disappointments, and this one is no exception to that generality. It raises some good points, particularly as they relate to ballot access and the nature of the duopoly system of government we have in the US. But beyond that this truly is just another dogmatic diatribe, this one from self-professed “moderates” that are actually anything but. It ends with an “altar call” urging *you* to act and donate your money, even as the authors sit back comfortably writing books and being “activists” rather than actually putting their own names on the ballot to try to achieve their stated goals. They want *you* to take the heat in running for office… even as they don’t have the guts. So take it from someone who *has* run for office, twice. Read this book, as it genuinely does have a couple of good ideas. But read it with a boulder of salt, because the authors aren’t brave enough to get in the fire themselves, and it is only within the fire that you truly see your ideas in action. Recommended.

This review of The Politics Industry by Katherine Gehl was originally written on March 26, 2020.

#BookReview: My Know-It-All Nemesis by Maggie Dallen

Nemesis Mine. This is a short yet heavier-than-many standard Maggie Dallen “Hallmarkie” high school romance. There’s still some laughter, but particularly in its final pages it really starts landing some haymakers that are not really typical of Dallen at all. Still, when you need something to dive into a rich, well developed “fake” world to escape the “real” one with all of its issues right now… this is a solid distraction for a couple of hours or so. Very much recommended.

This review of My Know-It-All Nemesis by Maggie Dallen was originally written on March 23, 2020.

#BookReview: Those Who Wander by Vivian Ho

“Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost” … But Some Are. Ho does an excellent job of focusing on one particular tale – of a trio of homeless kids in the Bay Area convicted of a pair of murders – while exploring young adult homelessness generally quite well. Maybe it was because the version I read was the Audible, but there didn’t seem to be many citations throughout the book, and indeed Ho waxes poetic and goes into editorial mode quite often – a bit too much, for my own personal tastes, particularly when making various claims that really do need supporting evidence to be provided. (Checking the text based version of the book I also have, I do in fact see that the notes/ bibliography is a bit too sparse for my thinking.) Which is ultimately what dropped this a star for me. Other than the sparse bibliography and a too much editorializing, this truly was a beautifully written book that highlights an oft-overlooked circumstance and does a stupendous job showing these people as the humans they are – warts and all. Very much recommended.

This review of Those Who Wander by Vivian Ho was originally written on March 25, 2020.

Featured New Release of the Week: Problem Child by Victoria Helen Stone

This week, as we gear up for Autism Awareness Month in just a few days, we’re looking at a book that does a great job in humanizing and normalizing another neurological divergence. This week, we’re looking at Problem Child by Victoria Helen Stone.

This was a great tale in and of itself – the pacing was solid, the “shocks” were used well, the mystery was compelling, etc etc etc. Seriously, if that is all you care about here, then you’re good at this point. Go buy the book. 🙂

Where the book really shines and elevates itself is in its use of a neurodivergent character as its primary protagonist = and in showing that such a neurodivergence doesn’t mean that the person is “good” or “evil” or “better” or “less”, that they just *are*. Yes, many neurodivergences give abilities beyond the typical, and the one highlighted here – sociopathy – is no different. Ultimately it is up to the neurodivergent individual to assess their own abilities and learn to use them to live their life however they want – which is exactly what our protagonist has done and is doing… and what another character has to learn. Truly a great and yet also frank look at the issues surrounding sociopathy specifically but also neurodivergence in general, this really is a solid book to read in preparation for Autism Awareness Month beginning barely a week after this book releases.

Very much recommended, and I’m very much looking forward to more from this author and this world.

As always, the Goodreads/ Amazon review:
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#BookReview: Tomboys Don’t Wear Pink by Christina Benjamin

Solid YA Romance. This actually continues the world introduced in Benjamin’s collaboration with Maggie Dallen and Stephanie Street last fall, The Trouble With Tomboys, and serves as Book 1 to its own series, making Benjamin’s entry in that former series what would be called a “back door pilot” in TV terms. And honestly, this was exactly the kind of bubblegum pop high school romance I know *I* needed in these challenging times. Just a fun few hours to get wrapped up in a fictional world and leave the “real” one behind, and this does that excellently. Very much recommended.

This review of Tomboys Don’t Wear Pink by Christina Benjamin was originally written on March 21, 2020.

#BookReview: Shasta by David Wood and CB Matson

Maddock and Bones Back Again. This one has a bit more mysticism than most books in this universe, including one particular chapter that seems completely out of the blue for a bit until it is brought back into the real, but overall is a pretty standard action/ adventure tale in this series. If you’re looking for bullets and explosions while exploring arcane legends… this is your kind of tale. Very much recommended.

This review of Shasta by David Wood and CB Matson was originally written on March 19, 2020.

#BookReview: Above The Bay of Angels by Rhys Bowen

Rewrite The Stars. This is a solid book, particularly in the “historical fiction where the lead character believes they can change their destiny” type. Brings to life some real-world trivia points that I hadn’t known, which is always a nice little surprise, and even taught me a bit of geography I didn’t know in the process – which is even more rare and thus even more awesome when it happens. The story itself will be familiar to anyone who has seen A Knight’s Tale (the movie) or read Gone With the Wind or any other numerous stories of its type over the years, but the execution here is excellent and the story is well paced and well told. Very much recommended.

This review of Above the Bay of Angels by Rhys Bowen was originally written on March 16, 2020.

Featured New Release of the Week: What It Seems by Emily Bleeker

This week we look at an experimental tale from an author I’ve been a fan of since her debut a few years ago now. This week, we’re looking at What It Seems by Emily Bleeker.

This was a writing technique new to Bleeker’s published efforts – a tale told in first person. And after reading the book, I can see why this particular tale almost *had* to be told in single narrator first person. This style really gets you into the head of our narrator, and that is absolutely crucial to the story being as good as it is.

Without going into spoiler territory, let’s just say that this book is reminiscent of one I read decades ago yet updated to include modern discussions, particularly of the YouTube phenomenon. Indeed, the YouTube issue becomes central to driving the story after an introduction grounding us in just how abused our narrator has been, and everything she has had to do to cope as best she could with that abuse.

Truly a spectacular work, Bleeker yet again sets in motion a drama with mind bending secrets and explosive reveals. Very much recommended.

As always, the Goodreads/ Amazon review:
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#BookReview: One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak

One Perfect Fictionalized Story Of Real World Concerns. I picked this book up the instant I read the description because it seemed like it would be working through in novel form many of the same issues Libby Copeland raised in her nonfiction book The Lost Family, which released about a month before this one will. (Yes, this is yet another book I’m reading as an ARC, and my reviews are my own honest thoughts no matter how I acquire a book or when I read it in relation to its official publication date.) I was not disappointed in that regard at all, and if anything this book actually did a better job of truly exploring these complexities than the nonfiction book did, if only because in novel form it is much easier to express just how messy these situations can be from so many angles. Yes, you may get answers – but those answers in these cases… well, many of them were buried for very good reasons. And then there are the people who just do these DNA kits on a lark to “find out where they’re from” or some such – which is actually how one of our lead protagonists arrives in this situation, highlighting the stark realities of how serious even taking one of these tests can be. Truly an excellent work grounded in real world research and even real world situations, as the nonfiction book shows. Very much recommended.

This review of One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak was originally written on March 14, 2020.

#BookReview: Shuttle Houston by Paul Dye

Fascinating. This book is from a guy that started in NASA in the era right after Apollo and seemingly left right as SpaceX and the other private space agencies were finding their first successes. It is highly technical, yet also very approachable – Dye actively tries to explain as much of his “NASA-speak” (his term) as possible while not getting bogged down in too many details. This covers the entirety of his 40 ish years in NASA, from his first days as a co-op student through his last years planning the recovery missions should a Shuttle be stranded in space in the years after the Columbia disaster. Great insight and sometimes hilarious stories, though it ultimately suffers from the same bad taste of an ending that soured Kranz’s Failure Is Not An Option. In its final chapter, it more often comes across as a bitter old man not understanding the new dynamics of the agency he helped mold, rather than as someone truly hopeful for the future of space exploration and what the promise of the new and immediately future eras. Still, a truly worthy read from one of the people who doesn’t have the name recognition of a Kranz or a Chris Kraft, but who was arguably just as important in getting NASA to where it is today. Very much recommended.

This review of Shuttle, Houston by Paul Dye was originally written on March 10, 2020.